African Descendants ✊🏿 Black People - Americas, Africa, Caribbean Culture Discussion

[spiderjericho]

"Climate gentrification "

Breaks my heart.

That whole area from Downtown where “Old” Overtown used to be all the way to Lil Haiti has been transformed.

 

[DCAllAfrican]

 

[DCAllAfrican]

 

[Grine]

 

[gry60]

The significance of Dukson’s presence that day is not immediately apparent. At times it appears as though he is photobombing de Gaulle in the nation’s moment of glory. As de Gaulle lays a wreath under the Arc de Triomphe, there is Dukson a few feet behind him, being glared at by a French official. As de Gaulle strides down Paris’s main drag, stiff and reedy at 6ft 5in, there is the smaller, sturdier frame of Dukson over his shoulder. There he is again being manhandled away from the general by a man who looks like a police officer. Dukson appears to protest, swivelling his torso and raising his good arm, even as he keeps walking. In one picture, de Gaulle is clearly aware of the fracas, turning his gaze towards the commotion.

So why is this detail, from a historic moment that happened 80 years ago this month, significant? To answer that question we must go back a day, to August 25, when Paris was formally liberated after a German surrender. In the months leading up to the big day, de Gaulle had been desperately concerned about the optics of the liberation and France’s putative role in it. A proud and patriotic man in a supplicant role, the exiled leader knew that it would be the Americans and British who would provide the greatest share of troops and firepower to force the Germans out of France. But he wanted French soldiers to be among the first to enter the capital.

The Americans agreed. But, no less concerned with optics than de Gaulle, they had one condition: the French troops in question had to be white. The US was comfortable with spilling blood and spending treasure to free France, and then choreographing that freedom in a way that gave significant credit to the French for delivering it. What they could not tolerate was the sight of one of Europe’s most symbolic cities being rescued by Black troops.

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[DCAllAfrican]

Playing from 33:50


Great convo. A lot of African basketball talk. Noah is a legit dude man.

 

[DCAllAfrican]

Always wondered why.